Possession Of The Page
by RavenDove
Summary: As Captain Sisko's alter ego Benny Russel argues with a story that demands to be written its own way, Dr. Bashir finds himself faceing an inspection by Admiral Lenard McCoy.


This story was my Strange New Worlds VIII entry for 2004. Since it did not win I'm posting it here for others to read. You might find it interesting. It might count as a chapter in my story 'Mean Things I've Done To Dr. Julian Bashir' but there is more to it than that so I'm posting in it's entirety. The real question is, How many Sues can you find?

Lyda Mae (RavenDove) Huff

---

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Possession Of The Page

by Lyda Mae (RavenDove) Huff

_---_

_Once upon a distant time; a good story began, with a very bad rhyme._

"They're not going to like this." Benny Russel said. That disembodied voice was the story talking, and when the story started speaking it did not bode well for Benny. He had just convinced the doctors to give him more paper and he would lose that privilege again.

_You seem to think this story sounds boring. Would you like me to stop... Before you start snoring._

"Yes!" said Benny.

_I have a good story. I'll let it unfold... You just sit there quiet, and let it be told..._

Benny frowned and put pencil to paper.

_I know of a man, facing something with dread. And just for fun, I think I'll mess with his head._

"I don't approve of that attitude." said Benny.

---

Julian Bashir was sweating. Not the sweat of exertion, but the sweat of a man facing his worst fear and loosing. The mob was nearly on him and he knew that his hiding place was a poor one.

He could hear their taunts of "Freak!" and "Monster!" and he felt the tears burning in his eyes. The tears he had pushed down for years as he called himself those things to his own reflection each morning.

"He's over there." cried the shrill voice of an older man.Bashir looked back around the corner of the wall only a second then started to run again. He knew that he couldn't keep up this running. He needed to find an escape soon, or better cover.

He ducked into a building and crawled beneath a half collapsed stairway. Then he forced himself to breathe through his nose and tried to will his heart to beat slower.

"Over here." whispered a sultry female voice.

Bashir looked to find a slender hand with long manicured fingernails beckoning him from across the hall. He saw a slim figure in the doorway, then the noise of the mob ceased, and there was only her. She drew him in and they kissed. The passion was wonderful, and yet somehow wrong. Then it ended and he was enveloped by a pain he couldn't understand.

---

_In this web, That I do weave. Is she real? Or do I deceive?_

"You deceive." answered Benny. "You always deceive."

---

Bashir sat up in bed so fast he nearly tumbled to the floor. He could still feel the kiss, though it had to be part of the nightmare. How many nights had he been haunted by his fears? He'd never cared to count. But this was different. The mob had chased him before, but he couldn't explain the woman or the kiss.

There was a bad taste in his mouth. He stood and rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the replicator and ordered water.

After his secret had come out he thought for sure that the dream would have no reason to come back. That was before Captain Sisko had informed him about the inspection. Admiral Leonard McCoy would be here day after tomorrow. _Scratch that_, he thought as he looked at the chronometer. Admiral McCoy would be here tomorrow to inspect Bashir's work and his infirmary.

Sisko had assured him that McCoy could not have him drummed out of the service in spite of his father's plea bargain without proof that he was unfit for duty; but that would not make facing the man any easier. Admiral McCoy had written practically half of the texts on inter-species medicine that Bashir had been required to study in school. He had served with Captain Kirk, and had actually met and survived two encounters with the infamous Kahn Singh.

Kahn Singh was the reason genetic engineering on sentient species was against the law. The reason why Bashir should not have been allowed to remain in Starfleet.

Bashir sighed and looked at the chronometer again. There was no point in going back to bed at this hour. He set the empty glass back in the replicator, and headed for the shower.

---

"Is it really necessary to rhyme?" asked Benny.

_I'll rhyme if I wish, you little pill. Now listen a moment, and do my will..._

_---_

_She watched him through the vent cover as he made ready for the day. Such a beautiful body she thought as she licked the remains of his kiss from her lips. This one tasted good. She wouldn't have to wait long before she could fully enjoy him, but for now she needed sustenance. She would have to leave him for a while._

_---_

"That doesn't sound right." Benny said as he looked back over the words.

_Just you wait. I'll add some more. Some things might shake you to the core._

_---_

Dr. Katherine Pulaski sat in the lounge of the passenger shuttle _Nauadu_ and sipped her morning coffee. She scowled and wondered again which one of her ex-husbands was most responsible for her selection to aid Admiral McCoy in this inspection.

She agreed that someone needed to have a look at what kind of a doctor Julian Bashir was, but she didn't see why _she_ needed to be involved. Let alone a one-hundred and forty-seven year old man who ought to be more concerned with remembering the names of his great-great grandchildren than the practice of medicine.

Pulaski might not like the job she had been given, but she would do it.

---

_You think that's enough, but I'm not done. Let's add more mystery to our fun._

"What do you mean, _our _fun?" Benny asked with anger.

_There is really no need for you to be terse. I just thought that "Our" sounded better in verse._

_---_

The Rigelian Numerologist lay in a pool of Vulcanoid green blood. Odo knelt down to get a better perspective of the wounds on her neck and the tearing of her brown robe. This was going to be a bad day, and he knew it.

He activated his combadge, "Odo to Bashir."

"Bashir here." he heard replied through a yawn.

"I hate to disturb your beauty sleep Doctor." Odo said, mildly annoyed that Julian wasn't fully awake yet. "But your presence is required outside cargo bay four."

"Is it an emergency?"

Odo stood up, "I'm afraid it's a little late for an emergency Doctor."

"I'll be there in five minutes Constable, Bashir out."

Odo knew he should cut Bashir some slack for yawning. The Doctor wasn't sleeping well and everyone knew it, even though he kept saying that he was fine.

---

_I don't run with a gore-favoring bunch. I'll skip the postmortem and move on to lunch._

"That's probably for the best." Benny said.

---

Miles O'Brien watched as Bashir downed his second Black Hole and cringed. "How can you drink that stuff?"

Julian put down his glass and made a sour face at his friend. "For the first time in a week I have an appetite, and you have to complain."

"I don't think the Chief meant to complain Julian." Jadzia Dax said from across the Replimat table. "It's good to see you're getting over your concern about tomorrow."

"I didn't say I'd gotten over my concern." Bashir said. "I just said I have an appetite."

O'Brien swallowed the last bite of his lunch. "Did you have that dream again last night?" he asked as he began drinking his coffee.

Before Julian could answer Dax butted in. "Yes he did. I heard him get up at 04:00 this morning."

"I'm beginning to think my quarters are too close to yours." Julian said with a dirty look.

Lt. Commander Worf looked up from the report in his hand. "Is this the one where you are being chased by a mob led by Admiral McCoy?"

"Who told you?" Bashir asked.

Worf looked back down at the report. "Nurse Lamont likes being a gossip."

Julian shook his head and scowled remembering that Declan Lamont had overheard him talking to Dax and O'Brien three days ago. "I'll be sure to note that on the Ensign's next performance review."

O'Brien tilted his head, "I thought he was a Lieutenant."

"Exactly." said Bashir.

"Julian," Dax scolded, "I didn't think you were a vengeful person."

Julian looked down and massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "You're right Jadzia," he said, "I'm not."

Dax stood up, "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to Ops." She planted a kiss on Worf's brow ridges that the Klingon stifled a smile at and left.

Julian looked over at Worf with envy. "If you want to keep her affections Worf, you really should pay more attention to her than that."

Worf lifted his eyebrow, "I _do_ pay attention to her." He looked back at the report.

"You didn't notice them playing footsie under the table?" asked O'Brien.

Julian half choked on his food and drew his napkin to his lips as he coughed, eliciting a smile from Worf.

---

Pulaski saw Worf and O'Brien in the Replimat with Bashir and a female Trill Officer that she didn't recognize. When the Trill kissed Worf Pulaski knew that the woman must be Dax. She'd heard that the two were involved. There was an exchange of words between the three men at the table and when Bashir began to choke she stepped forward on instinct.

"Are you alright Doctor." she asked the young man.

Julian turned to respond and knocked over his chair trying to stand when he saw who it was. He just barely managed to recover and not fall with it as he jumped to attention. "Dr. Pulaski." he stammered. "You weren't suppose to arrive until tomorrow with Admiral McCoy."

Pulaski looked him over from head to toe then straight in the eye with a little wonder. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but this wasn't it. Sure he was handsome and looked basically fit, but he was slightly disheveled, very nervous and obviously tired from the look of his eyes.

"I took an earlier shuttle." Pulaski answered. "The Admiral will arrive tomorrow as scheduled."

Julian breathed a sigh of relief as he tried to straighten his uniform.

O'Brien gestured to the chair that Dax had vacated, "Would you care to join us Doctor?"

Pulaski looked again at Bashir who was picking up his own chair, "Perhaps later."

Julian caught her gaze and bit his tongue, then began gathering up the remains of his meal. "Don't let me stop you." he said as he headed for the disposal. "I was just leaving."

O'Brien followed Julian with his eyes as he left, then looked at Pulaski and back down to his now cold coffee. "You may not realize this Doctor." he said as he stood up, "but you just offended my best friend." He then placed his own dishes in the disposal and headed after Bashir.

Pulaski watched him leave and looked at Worf, who had finally set down the report. "What did I do?" she asked with just a little puzzlement.

"You did not sit down." he stated quite firmly as he stood and took his own plate to the disposal.

She stood there for a moment not understanding. Then found herself chasing after Worf. "What do you mean I didn't sit down?"

Worf looked back and slowed to let her catch up. "You looked at him with disdain and did not sit down."

"I didn't mean that I would not join you because he was there." said Pulaski.

"Both Dr. Bashir and Chief O'Brien took it that way." said Worf as he boarded a turbolift.

Pulaski was not through with this conversation. She boarded the lift right after him, "Computer seal lift and halt." She looked back at Worf, "I did not look at him with disdain."

Worf scowled, "Yes, you did." He thought for a moment before he continued. "In the past you have shown a tendency to judge others too quickly, sometimes even before you have met them."

"And you think that I have already judged Dr. Bashir."

"I did not say that you had." Worf answered. "I merely said that you have a tendency to be quick in judging others." Worf looked away, "The way you judged Data."

"Are you saying that I need to give Dr. Bashir a chance to prove what he is before I decide what he is?" Pulaski asked.

Worf nodded.

---

Captain Benjamin Sisko stood in the Security office across from Odo. "Are you telling me that there is more than one victim?"

"What I said Captain, is that there are at least five missing persons aboard the station." said Odo.

"And it's possible that they have been murdered as well." said Dax. "But we won't know that for sure until we find them."

"How long have they been missing Constable?" Sisko asked.

"The first one reported was an Acamarian technician who didn't report to his shuttle at departure time four days ago." said Odo. "It was assumed that he had deserted."

"And you think otherwise." said Sisko.

"He may not have." said Odo.

Sisko leaned on the Consatable's desk. "Double all patrols Constable. Have them search every nook of this station until these missing people are found."

"I'm already on that Captain." said Odo.

Dax looked at the list of missing people. "Perhaps Julian can think of something the sensors might detect from this list."

"We can drop it by the infirmary on the way back to Ops." Sisko said. "Now we just need to figure out how to keep the fact that we might have a serial killer on the station from causing a panic, while keeping anyone else from disappearing."

---

_Now that most of the ingredients are in the stew. Let's stir them up, and see what they'll do._

Benny sighed with displeasure and rolled his eyes.

---

Julian leaned over his console and closed his eyes for just a moment. All he wanted to do was take a nap. He needed to get more sleep somehow.

He didn't dare take anything. He was afraid that Dr Pulaski or Admiral McCoy would demand he submit to a physical and find a trace of it in his system. He couldn't use a Delta wave inducer, they were too risky. Miles had suggested a massage in the holosuites but that hadn't worked. Jadzia suggested music with the same result. He was too tense to meditate.

He heard someone enter and hoped it was O'Brien with the tools he needed to repair the spare neural scanner. Julian opened his eyes and looked up to see Dr. Pulaski. He tried to smile as he stood, "Can I help you Doctor?" he asked.

Katherine Pulaski was not wrong often, and she found it hard to admit. "I think I owe you an apology Dr. Bashir"

Julian's face went blank as he started to wonder if he had fallen asleep at his desk.

"I think I may have given the impression that I don't like you." said Pulaski.

"I was never under the impression that you were here to like me Dr. Pulaski." said Bashir.

Pulaski didn't expect that response. "What do you think I'm here for," She paused a moment remembering from his file that he preferred to be called by his first name, "Julian."

Bashir hated the way she said his name and he was tired of trying to be nice. "Well Katherine," he said her name with obvious distaste, "I think you're here to find any excuse possible to have me relieved of duty."

Pulaski could see the tension in his muscles as he clenched and unclenched his fists. There was anger in his eyes along with the tiredness. She knew that his situation had to be stressful, and she wondered if he was ready to break. When he turned away she reached for her tricorder without even thinking.

Bashir saw her go for the tricorder and that was it. He grabbed it from her hand and threw it at his desk. "Don't you even dare!" he screamed through clenched teeth.

Pulaski could not help but draw back from Julian as she realized how much she was going to regret her last move. "I was..."

Julian shook with rage. "Don't you ever point a tricorder at me without my permission."

---

Sisko and Dax had almost reached the infirmary when they heard the commotion. They looked at each other and started to run.

"Security to the infirmary." the Captain said as he slapped his combadge. "On the double Constable." he yelled as he swerved to avoid hitting O'Brien who was running from the other direction.

---

Bashir shoved over an instrument tray as he yelled at Pulaski. "While you're here to judge me, why don't you take a good look at yourself."

Sisko, Dax and O'Brien seized Bashir at the same time and tried to pull him back.

"That's enough Doctor." Sisko yelled as Dax and O'Brien managed to wrestle Julian back to his desk.

Bashir looked back at Pulaski with pure venom. "Tell me Katherine." he spat. "When you look at me do you see a patient or a lab specimen?"

"I said that's enough Doctor." Sisko said with all the command he could muster. When Julian continued to glare at Pulaski, Sisko made the only decision he could. "Get him out of here until he cools off."

O'Brien looked at Sisko. "Where should we take him?"

Odo burst through the door with two security guards at that moment, and Sisko gritted his teeth. "See if Quark has a free holosuite and shove him in a lake Chief. Just don't bring him back until he cools off."

Bashir looked around him and then back at Pulaski. He wasn't about to be physically ejected from his own infirmary. He threw off Dax and O'Brien straightened his jacket and stormed out pushing the gold shirts aside.

"Follow him Chief." Sisko said to O'Brien.

O'Brien nodded and ran after Bashir with Dax on his heals.

Odo looked at Sisko, "I take it that things are under control now."

"For the moment Constable." Sisko agreed.

Odo gestured for his men to leave. "Would anyone care to tell me what happened."

Pulaski looked at both of them and started to recover from her state of shock. "I pointed a tricorder at him."

Sisko whistled, "All that over a tricorder."

"There was nothing in his file about outbursts like this." said Pulaski.

Sisko took a seat in Bashir's chair. "That's because he doesn't have outbursts like this." He looked back at Pulaski. "In the worst situations Julian is usually the most level head around."

"Cool as a cucumber?" Pulaski asked with just a little skepticism.

"I'm not familiar with that saying." said Odo.

Sisko looked to Odo, "It refers to a person who is not easily disturbed by situations around them and is known for being calm in a crisis."

Odo nodded, "That would be a fair assessment of Dr. Bashir."

"You'll forgive me if I'm not easily convinced." said Pulaski.

"We haven't been properly introduced Dr. Pulaski." said Sisko, "I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko." He did not offer his hand.

Pulaski did not miss the lack of welcome. "I take it you know why I'm here, Captain."

"When it concerns one of my senior officers I make it my business to know." Sisko said.

Pulaski looked in the direction that Bashir had departed then back to Sisko. "I don't think that he's been getting much sleep."

Sisko looked her in the eye. "Did your tricorder tell you that, or the station gossip?"

"My own two eyes Captain." said Pulaski.

Sisko looked back the way that Bashir had gone. "Your eyes don't lie Doctor."

"If he's like this when Admiral McCoy arrives tomorrow he can kiss that plea bargain goodbye." said Pulaski.

"Are you going to suggest that I have Odo's men drag him back here so you can help him when he doesn't want to be within a hundred meters of you?" asked Sisko.

"There might be another way Captain." suggested Odo.

Sisko turned to Odo, "I'm listening."

"There are many people on this station who consider Dr. Bashir a friend." said Odo.

"Myself included Constable." said Sisko.

Odo paused a moment before continuing. "Humans have a custom they call 'tough love' where friends and family intervene when an individual is in a cycle of self destructive behavior."

Sisko had some idea what Odo was planning. "Make sure he gets to bed Constable, and let everyone know that I'll be joining them at the court martial if Julian presses charges." Then Sisko stood up and left.

---

"I don't like where this is going." said Benny.

_I don't always like the tide. But just right now, I'm along for the ride._

Benny could smell a lie in that.

---

Bashir hadn't been able to find anything on the list from Odo that would help them scan for the missing people. It had taken him the better part of two hours to cool down enough that he dared go back to the infirmary, and he'd been grateful to find that only Lamont was on duty when he entered. The Scottish-Australian might be a gossip, but he was a good nurse.

O'Brien had stayed with Bashir most of the day just doing repairs in the infirmary. Though Bashir had suspected that Captain Sisko had given O'Brien orders to keep him out of trouble. When they were done in the infirmary Miles had dragged him to Quark's and selected a secluded table on the upper level where they were joined by Jadzia, Worf and Major Kira.

They all talked about different things but Bashir was too tired to pay full attention. What mattered to him right now was that the food and Black Holes kept coming. He found himself gazing down from the balcony and across the room.

It was then that he saw her. She looked back at him from the shadows and he knew she was the woman from his dream. She faded from his sight as he felt a familiar sting in the back of his left hand.

He turned to look at his hand, and saw Dax holding a hypospray. Bashir wanted to protest, but couldn't

---

"You've put him to sleep, and you want to call this a plot." said Benny.

_What's that you say? The fire's out. And now you complain and want to pout._

_But I tell you that things are not quite right, and our protagonist has only begun to fight._

_---_

Julian felt the hard floor beneath his stomach, and ran his hand across his face only to have it come away sticky. He could smell and taste something metallic. He was groggy from whatever had been in that hypospray, and it took him a few minutes to fully comprehend where he was. He vaguely remembered Worf and O'Brien carrying him back to his quarters and stripping him down to his underwear before putting him in bed. He must have fallen to the floor sometime after they had left.

He opened his eyes and saw the small pool of blood beneath his face and realized that his nose was bleeding. He fumbled around for the med-kit that he kept by his bed, and struggled to make his eyes focus.

When Julian found his med kit he got to his feet and stumbled to the washroom. He braced himself against the basin, and leaned forward as he grabbed for a towel to wipe the blood away.

He heard the outer door open and Jadzia called out, "Are you up Julian."

Julian felt a sudden blush of modesty at the thought of Jadzia seeing him in his underwear, but realized that it was unavoidable. "I'm in here." he called out as he pulled the towel away from his face.

---

Dax walked through the bedroom to find the sight of Julian stumbling around in the dark with a bloody towel over his face. "Lights up full." she said. Then as Julian winced from the light she helped him to sit on the bed. "What happened?" she asked as she tilted his head back to have a look.

"I must have fallen." said Bashir.

Bashir's nose was bleeding quite badly from both nostrils and from the amount of blood on Julian and the floor it had been bleeding ten minutes at least. "You should have Dr. Pulaski look at this."

Bashir flinched at the name. "I'd rather not."

Dax knew better than to argue with Julian just after he'd woke up. "Where is your med kit?" she asked.

"It's on the washbasin." Julian said as he leaned forward again and replaced the towel. Jadzia retrieved the med kit and Julian pulled out the correct instrument. "Aim this up each nostril and hold it still until the flow of blood stops."

Dax tilted his head back again and aimed the instrument up his left nostril. "If you say so Julian."

"I really should press charges against the lot of you." he said off-hand.

Dax smiled, "Good luck."

"Let me guess," Bashir said, "Odo was in on it too."

"It was his idea. Now hold still." she said as she switched to the other nostril.

Julian rolled his eyes. "Just how many people were in on this conspiracy?"

"Only half the people on the station." Dax joked.

Bashir glared at her while she finished.

"If it had been Miles or Benjamin you might have been the one holding the hypospray." said Dax.

Julian hated to admit it, but she was right. He looked at the chronometer, and realized what time it was. He'd been out for more than ten hours. "The Admiral's shuttle will be here in forty minutes."

"That should give you enough time to wash off that blood and eat some breakfast before we go to greet him." Dax said.

---

"Something's not right here." Benny said. No matter how hard he tried the words didn't sound right.

_So you think that something's not quite right... Or is it you don't like blood in sight?_

"Let me guess," Benny said, "you're not quite done... So get on with it."

---

Admiral McCoy walked through the airlock with a measured slow pace, and found himself already cursing the Cardassian architecture. "Who in their right mind puts a raised lip on an airlock door?"

"Cardassians plan inconveniences on purpose." said Pulaski in reply to the Admiral's grumbling.

"When I want a lesson on Cardassian psychology I'll let you know." McCoy snapped back. Having Pulaski here had not been his idea and he was going to make his dissatisfaction clear from the beginning. He stopped to take a good look at the party that was there to greet him.

There was Pulaski of course. There was also a beautiful Trill Lt. Commander with a familiar look in her eyes, and next to her was Dr. Bashir. Bashir looked like his smile was sewn in place. Somewhere beneath the fresh uniform and slightly wet hair McCoy could tell the young man half wanted to scream and definitely wished he was somewhere else. Thinking back to his own days as a CMO he completely understood. "Cut the marionette strings Dr. Bashir, and wipe that fake smile off your face." he said. "I'm here to examine the real you and not the star pupil in Sunday best."

Bashir's jaw dropped for a second, "Sir?" he asked as he recovered his bearings.

"You don't like the fact that I'm here and pretending that you do will get us nowhere."

Julian forced himself not to clench his teeth as he dropped the civil pretense. "Yes Sir." he said, and in spite of himself he started to like McCoy.

"You do have a way of getting to the point." Dax said with a smile.

McCoy looked into the Trill's eyes and knew what he'd found so familiar. "Emony." he said as he shook his head and smiled back.

Pulaski didn't quite understand that last exchange until Bashir explained, "Third host."

Dax heard Julian's remark and turned in time to see a drop of blood drip from his nostril. "Julian..." she said as she gestured with a hand toward her nose.

Bashir brought his own hand up to his nose, and felt what was wrong before looking at his fingers to see they were covered in red. This was the worst possible time for his nosebleed to come back.

McCoy reached into his pocket and pulled out an old fashion hanky which he offered to Bashir.

Pulaski half reached for her tricorder again, but thought the better of it when she looked in Bashir's eyes. There was no anger there this time. Just a silent plea that said simply, 'Please don't.'

"Do you get nosebleeds all the time young man?" McCoy asked as the country doctor in him took over.

"I fell out of bed this morning." Bashir answered as he held the Admiral's handkerchief to his nose.

"Fell out of bed?" McCoy asked unbelieving.

"You don't want to ask." said Dax.

Pulaski shook her head in agreement as she thought of her own culpability in the matter.

Bashir pulled the hanky away since the bleeding had stopped, and looked from one woman to the other then back to McCoy.

"You're right," McCoy shrugged as he started to walk through the connecting corridor, "I don't want to ask."

---

That was better, thought Benny, or at least it made sense.

---

Sisko waited outside the quarters where they had found the bodies. When he saw who was following Dax and Bashir he didn't know if he should be pleased or not. This was not the scene that you wanted a visiting Admiral to see. He stepped inside without a word and let them follow.

The bodies were piled together on the bedroom floor without a drop of blood in sight. After one look everyone turned away except Bashir. Who saw something dangling out of a hand.

Julian bent a little closer and read the words on the medallion. "_Ne Parcas Nec Spernas._" He forced his breakfast back down and turned away. "Neither spare or despise." he whispered, translating the Latin. It was Declan Lamont's clan medallion. Julian remembered how proud Declan had been when telling him how it had been a gift from his granduncle.

---

"That's far enough!" said Benny.

_On this I don't wish, farther to go. That paragraph alone, was more than I cared to know._

_But if this story is to be told, there are unfortunate details that must unfold._

"I'm going to have to write the whole thing." Benny said with regret.

---

Dax read over the library file again with disbelief that she didn't know she was capable of.

'The Dehampir is a vampiric creature that feeds on iron-based hemoglobin. It uses its fingernails to slash open the arteries of its prey then drains them of blood. If cornered or threatened by someone with non-iron-based blood it will attack but leave its victim to bleed to death because the blood is inedible. They produce only female children. Some cultures call the Dehampir the Widow because when they enter their mating cycle they choose a male of a compatible species only to kill him once mating is complete.'

The file went on to describe mating behavior, the qualifications of a suitable mate, and the signs of Widow Kiss syndrome. (Called such because the mate was prepared by a special venom delivered in a kiss, usually while the victim slept.)

"Julian." Dax said aloud as she recognized what no one else had seen. It was all there; sleep trouble, sudden cravings for things like Black Holes, unexplained bleeding from the nose or eyes, irritability and more. The last line of the file disturbed her most.

'Widow Kiss is always fatal.'

Dax had always thought the Widow Kiss was a fairy tale. Now the evidence around her told her that the Dehampirs were not only real, but that one was on the station. Even worse the creature was preparing her friend for death. It took a lot to faze a joined Trill of her years, and this fazed her.

"Dax to Sisko" she said after activating her combadge.

"Sisko here." the Captain replied.

"Meet me in the infirmary." she said as she exited her lab.

"Have you found something?"

"Yes Benjamin, and you're not going to like it."

---

"I don't like it either." Benny said through his teeth.

_Please be seen and not heard. Just right now, I can't spare a word._

_---_

Dax arrived before Sisko and saw Pulaski and McCoy standing over one of the bodies. "Where's Julian?" she asked.

"He went back to oversee the removal of the last body." answered Pulaski.

"Dax to Bashir." Jadzia said with more than a little worry in her voice.

Sisko entered in time to hear Dax make a second desperate call. "What's the problem Old Man?" he asked.

Dax turned to face Sisko, "Benjamin, we need to find Julian." She went over to the computer terminal on Julian's desk. "Before Pulaski and the Admiral have to do his postmortem."

Sisko read the file that Dax pulled up on the screen and didn't like what he saw. "Sisko to Bashir." he said, repeating Dax's call.

There was silence.

"Odo to Sisko." came over the comm.

"Sisko here."

"I don't think the Doctor can answer you Captain." said Odo.

"Why is that Constable?" asked Sisko.

"Because one of my deputies just found Dr. Bashir's jacket and combadge Captain, and it doesn't look like he was the one that removed them."

"What do you mean Constable?" Jadzia asked.

"The jacket is badly torn." said Odo.

---

Benny was beginning to think that the story was actively trying to destroy the Bashir character.

---

Bashir was running, but this time it was for real. He stumbled against a bulkhead and glanced back. She was still there though he couldn't see her. He was disoriented for a moment, but only a moment. There was an emergency medical station two sections ahead of him. He couldn't call for the corridor security fields without a combadge, but if he could get there he could set up a containment field. He forced himself to go forward though each step became an effort of will. The entry code for the door was simple but the containment field needed to be configured just so.

Bashir got through the door, but there wasn't enough time. She knocked him over and began licking his face. Julian struggled and ran his fingers under one eye. He was crying blood.

---

"Crying blood!" said Benny. "That's too much."

_Okay! Maybe that is, a little bit much. But part of me really likes that touch._

_---_

Odo was followed by one of his deputies with a drawn phaser. He held the tricorder in front of him as he tried to to get a trace of the Doctor's trail. They had almost missed the first drops of blood near where his jacket had been found. Then they heard his voice just ahead.

---

Julian could feel her in his mind. "No." he said with as much force as possible. "This is not happening." He forced her out then opened his eyes and grabbed her wrists with such force that she cried out in surprise.

---

Odo entered the emergency medical station to find Julian struggling with what he could only describe as a She-Demon. The Constable grabbed her and managed to pull her away from Bashir only to have her lash out with her nails. Odo simply morphed around them and the Dehampir drew back in surprise. It was then that Odo saw her face in the light. She had long dark hair and dark eyes, her skin was flawless olive, her features almost Argelian and she wore a black dress with red embroidery that any Dabo girl would be proud of. She pulled away from Odo with a hiss and the deputy tried to stun her. She was knocked back, but shrugged off the blast. Then she leaped for a ventilation shaft in the ceiling, knocked the cover aside, and was gone.

Odo wanted to chase after her, but he couldn't leave Bashir behind. He was visibly struggling to maintain control as the blood flow from his eyes increased. "Odo to Infirmary," he said as he knelt by Julian's side, "I've found Dr. Bashir."

---

Benny opened his mouth to speak, but chose not to. He needed to save Bashir if Sisko was going to succeed in the other stories that Benny had written. All of the characters were important to the final goal.

---

The transporter deposited Julian on the surgical bed.

"He's going into shock." said Pulaski as she read the sensor display.

"He's hyperhemochromatic." said McCoy, "We need to get the iron levels in his blood normalized before it destroys his liver."

Pulaski opened what was left of Bashir's shirt and placed a cardio-stimulator on his chest. "Where are all of the red blood cells coming from?" she took a blood sample for analysis.

"The Widow poison must be causing him to convert all tissues to red blood cells." McCoy answered as he prepared an infuser hypospray.

"His clotting factors are breaking down." Pulaski said. "If he wasn't replacing blood cells at such a high rate he'd bleed to death."

"If we keep a steady flow of essential elements into his system, and separate out the extra blood cells as fast as he makes them we might be able to stabilize him." McCoy said.

"He'll need human clotting factors to prevent internal bleeding." said Pulaski.

---

_No one knows the final cost, and I say the battle's lost._

"Not yet it isn't." said Benny.

---

McCoy and Pulaski were able to stabilize Bashir's blood chemistry. It was not conventional medicine, but Widow Kiss was not a conventional illness. Pulaski prepared a sedative and reached for Julian's neck.

Bashir reached up with some effort and grabbed the hypospray. "I need to stay awake."

"You need rest." said Pulaski.

"You don't understand." Julian's words were slow and deliberate. "She's in my mind," he said, "and I can't fight her if I'm sleeping."

Pulaski took a closer look at Julian's brain wave readout. They kept falling from Alpha into Delta state and forcing their way back to Alpha. It wasn't a natural pattern, but a sudden fall.

McCoy noticed what Pulaski was seeing. "If the Dehampir wants him in a Delta state we need to keep him at Alpha."

"Invert a Delta wave inducer." said Julian.

Pulaski thought a moment, "It might work." she said as she reached for the necessary instruments.

"It could also cause synaptic failure." said McCoy.

"Do you have a better idea?" Pulaski asked.

McCoy scowled and shook his head, "No, I don't."

Julian's brain waves fell again while Pulaski prepared the wave inducer, and his eyes began to close. She placed the device on his forehead and activated it. "I hope this works."

There was no response.

Pulaski used a tricorder to recalibrate it and Bashir's eyes flew open.

Julian blinked a few times to get his bearings. _She was gone_. _At least for the moment she was_. "That's better." he said with more strength to his words. He breathed deeply, and his vitals became stronger.

---

"Ha," said Benny, "Bashir lives."

_For the moment that's a point I will give. Someone made Bashir live._

_---_

The station was still on alert, and all nonessential personnel had been moved to the protected areas at the center of the station, Dax had reasoned that there would likely be safety in numbers. Patrols searching for the Dehampir had been tripled in number, and were still finding nothing.

Sisko looked around the infirmary at the faces of his officers. Sisko, Dax, Odo, O'Brien, Worf and Kira were gathered around the surgical bed with Pulaski and McCoy though it was so cramped some of them were practically standing on each other. Bashir was still too critical to move from the surgical bay, but he had a plan for catching the Dehampir.

"It's simple." said Julian from the surgical bed. "If we can catch her in a fire suppression forcefield we can asphyxiate her."

"Just enough that she looses consciousness." said Dax. "Then we can put her in a stasis chamber."

"That would give us a better chance to find a way to counteract the venom in Julian's system." said Pulaski with reservation.

"But..." said Sisko.

"I would have to act as bait." Bashir said.

"I don't like that scenario." said Sisko.

"If we don't catch her soon Captain..."said McCoy.

"I'm dead." said Bashir. "And she will kill again."

O'Brien looked down at his feet. "I can disable the fire suppression system life sensors for the infirmary."

"If we can set the sensors for her thermal signature." said Dax. "Then they will only activate when she enters."

"We'll have to clear the area," said Kira, "but that doesn't guarantee that she'll take the bait."

Dax looked at Bashir, then to the others. "If Julian's theories are correct, then once the Alpha wave inducer is turned off, she won't be able to resist the bond she created with him."

"How long will it take to set this up?" asked Sisko.

"Twenty minutes." said Dax.

---

_Alright, now you have a plan... But you can't win. Though you think you can..._

"I don't _think_," said Benny, "I _know_."

---

_She could feel his mind again. He was helpless. She would have her way with him, and then she would have a daughter. It was perfect._

_---_

Julian did not fight this time. He just laid on the surgical bed and let her come to him. She slipped out of the vent and leaped to the floor in the darkened surgical bay. Her bare feet didn't make a sound. A light flashed from the ceiling and she was trapped. She struggled, then collapsed to the floor without breath.

---

Benny smiled, though the voice of the story was strangely silent.

---

Dax and O'Brien rushed into the surgical bay followed

by Pulaski. "Lights up full." Pulaski said.

Once Dax confirmed that the Dehampir was unconscious O'Brien keyed the command into the wall panel to drop the forcefield. Then the three of them wrestled her into a portable stasis chamber in the next room.

O'Brien took a moment to catch his breath, then hit his combadge. "O'Brien to Sisko."

"Yes chief." Sisko said over the com.

"We've got her."said O'Brien.

As soon as the signal went out the infirmary was filled with personnel. Some were there to work, others to see what was going on.

---

"What," asked Benny, "no smart remarks left?"

Still the voice was silent.

---

Pulaski stood over Bashir and ran a tricorder over his abdomen. "He'll make a full recovery." she said aloud.

McCoy looked over her shoulder at the readings. "I do believe you're right Doctor."

"I'm glad to hear that." said Sisko. "Now if we could talk about your inspection Admiral?"

"I'm through with my inspection." said McCoy.

Bashir looked up at McCoy with a sense of dread. "What are your findings?"

"No matter what you might think young man," said McCoy, "I did not come here to have you relived of duty."

"Why did you come then?" asked Julian.

"I didn't come looking for another Kahn Singh." said McCoy. "I came to find out what kind of man a Julian Bashir is."

"And what kind of man is a Julian Bashir?" asked Sisko.

McCoy thought about that a moment. "That's just it Captain."

There was an uncomfortable silence. "That's just what?" Julian asked.

"A Julian Bashir is a man, and a Kahn Singh is a monster." said McCoy as he turned to walk out of the room. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a shuttle to catch and a sleeping Dehampir to deliver to Starfleet Medical."

Bashir tried to sit up and ended up relying on Pulaski for help. "That was both more and less of an answer than I'd hoped for."

"The history books paint Kahn Singh as a narcissist." said Pulaski. "You chose to spend your life caring for others, and you don't use others to further your own goals."

Julian laughed, it started as a slight chuckle as the corners of his mouth turned up and grew in intensity as the smile broadened.

"What's so funny?" asked Sisko.

"I've spent most of my life being afraid to be judged for what I am," said Julian, "and now I find I'm not what I thought I was."

---

"Epiphany can be like that." said Benny as he set down his pencil. Knowing full well that the doctors would not be happy with what he had written.

_---_

_I looked up at him through the lines of our words, and could not help but smile. Yes, he had won this time. For as much I had tried to shape his words, he had ultimately given final form to mine..._

---

THE END


End file.
